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    High Profile Democrat Loses Seat to MAGA Republican in History-Making Upset

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1

    In a shocking upset Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chairman Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney has lost his re-election battle.

    The New York Democrat charged with leading the House Democrats’ re-election efforts called Republican challenger Mike Lawler to concede Wednesday morning. Maloney is the first sitting chairman of the DCCC to lose reelection in more than 40 years. 

    At a press conference, Maloney said he called Republican candidate Mike Lawler and congratulated him on a “good win” in New York’s 17th Congressional District.

    The Daily Beast reports:

    Despite Maloney trying to brand his opponent as “MAGA Mike Lawler,” and former President Bill Clinton calling an influential rabbi in the Hudson Valley to switch his endorsement, the incumbent failed to defeat Lawler, a GOP state assemblyman.

    Maloney maneuvered to run in a different district after the Empire State’s congressional map was redrawn, forcing fellow Democratic incumbent Rep. Mondaire Jones to run for a brand new district in Manhattan and Brooklyn, where he lost in the primary.

    As The Daily Beast reported in October, the DCCC chairman’s messy reelection fight—which included a primary challenge to his left from state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi—was the result of a series of repercussions from Maloney’s decision to switch seats, sparking gripes within Democratic campaign circles.

    This story is developing. Stay with Great America News Desk for more updates.

    Report: President’s Secret Service Spontaneously Explodes After Leaving for Nantucket Vacation

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    6
    Pixabay free images

    President Biden’s rented Secret Service vehicles burst into flames in a parking lot Monday- one day after he left for a Thanksgiving family vacation in Nantucket, Mass.

     The Secret Service rented five vehicles from Hertz to carry the president and his family, and all five of them caught fire in the parking lot, according to footage first obtained by the Nantucket Current.

    per Fox News:

    Footage shows firefighters spraying down the smoldering remains of one vehicle’s engine block. The five vehicles included a Chevy Suburban, Ford Explorer, Infiniti QX80, Ford Expedition, and a Jeep Gladiator.

    The vehicles were parked at the Nantucket airport and the blaze reportedly spread to just 40 feet away from the facility’s jet fuel tanks. It is currently unknown what caused the fire. Fox News reached out to the  White House for information, but they did not immediately respond.

    “At approximately 5:22 am Airport shift staff observed an active fire in the rental car overflow area through the Airport’s Closed Circuit Television System,” the airport said in a statement to the Current. “Staff activated the Alert system and responded to the fire in Airport-3, where they were met by responding units from Nantucket Fire Department and Nantucket Police Department.”

    “Combined fire resources responded and contained the fire. Several vehicles were damaged. The Airport is currently coordinating with rental car agencies and agency partners to ensure scene safety, There is no longer an active fire at this time: the Airport is open, and aeronautical operations are not affected,” the statement continued.

    This story is developing. Stay with Great America News Desk for more updates.

    Florida Judge Responds to Trump Team Request

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

    Florida Judge Aileen Cannon declined to issue a ruling after hearing arguments from Donald Trump and the Department of Justice regarding whether a special master should be appointed to independently review the documents recovered in the FBI’s August 8 raid of Mar-a-Lago.

    The Hill reported that Judge Cannon said a written ruling will come “in due course.”

    On Sunday, Judge Cannon said she was inclined to grant Trump’s request for a special master to independently review the seized materials due to the “exceptional circumstances presented” by the events at Mar-a-Lago.

    Cannon’s remarks triggered a harsh response from the Department of Justice in a Wednesday filing. In the filing, the DOJ picked apart Trump’s request a special master be appointed, calling the move “unnecessary” and even released photos of the recovered documents. (RELATED: Justice Department Responds to Trump’s Special Master Request)

    “Furthermore, appointment of a special master would impede the government’s ongoing criminal investigation and—if the special master were tasked with reviewing classified documents—would impede the Intelligence Community from conducting its ongoing review of the national security risk that improper storage of these highly sensitive materials may have caused and from identifying measures to rectify or mitigate any damage that improper storage caused,” the filing said. “Lastly, this case does not involve any of the types of circumstances that have warranted appointment of a special master to review materials potentially subject to attorney-client privilege.” 

    The DOJ also criticized Trump’s claim that the seized materials were protected by executive privilege.

    “The former President cites no case—and the government is aware of none—in which executive privilege has been successfully invoked to prohibit the sharing of documents within the Executive Branch,” it said. 

    Wednesday night, Trump’s legal team filed a last-minute response to the DOJ. Throughout the filing, Trump’s team argues the National Archives should have expected to find classified material among the documents Trump delivered in January from Mar-a-Lago because they were presidential records. This serves as a definite acknowledgment from Trump that he was in possession of classified material and also torpedoed his previous argument he “declassified everything.”

    Read the late-night filing from Trump below.

    gov.uscourts.flsd_.618763.58.0_4Download

    Judge Rules Mike Lindell Must Face Defamation Trial

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    Mike Lindell via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    On Tuesday, a federal judge ruled longtime Trump defender and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell must a defamation lawsuit brought by voting company Smartmatic.

    U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina Wright denied Lindell’s motion to dismiss Smartmatic’s case against him after the company sued the businessman for defamation after spreading false claims the company rigged the 2020 presidential election for Democrat Joe Biden, according to MSN.

    “Construing the facts in the light most favorable to Smartmatic, the Court concludes that Smartmatic has alleged facts sufficient to suggest that Lindell knew or should have known that his statements were false and acted with actual malice in promoting the challenged statements,” Wright wrote.

    The judge also found that Smartmatic made a plausible case that Lindell harmed its reputation.

    “Smartmatic also alleges that, as a result of Lindell’s defamatory remarks, Smartmatic’s officers and employees have been threatened and the company has expended over one million dollars on public relations, crisis management, cybersecurity, and employee retention and recruitment efforts. Smartmatic alleges that its business depends on its reputation for safety, accuracy and auditability, and that Lindell’s defamatory statements have tarnished Smartmatic’s reputation,” the order notes.

    “Smartmatic also alleges that Lindell made and promoted his defamatory statements for his own profit,” Wright, wrote in her ruling. “For example, Smartmatic alleges that on several occasions Lindell told audiences to purchase MyPillow products after making claims of election fraud and supplying audiences with MyPillow promotional codes related to Lindell’s election-hacking theories.”

    MyPillow argued that it couldn’t be held liable for Lindell’s statements however the judge also shot down that argument.

    “Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow, intentionally promoted MyPillow while allegedly defaming Smartmatic in media and other public appearances,” the order states. “Lindell used the MyPillow logo during media appearances in which he allegedly defamed Smartmatic. During these appearances, Lindell promoted the MyPillow business and provided audiences with promotional codes to use when buying MyPillow products. The MyPillow promotional codes Lindell relayed to audiences used words and phrases that correlated to Lindell’s allegedly defamatory statements.”

    Lindell is also facing a similar lawsuit from a separate voting machine company, Dominion Voting Systems.

    GOP House Conference Chair Endorses Trump Ahead of Official 2024 Announcement

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    7
    Elise Stefanik with Donald Trump via Wikimedia Commons

    While conservatives seem to be abandoning former President Donald Trump ahead of his potential 2024 bid House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY) is doubling down on the former president.

    In a statement to The New York Times, Rep. Stefanik said that she’s “proud” to endorse the former President despite the fact he hasn’t officially announced his candidacy yet.

    “I am proud to endorse Donald Trump for president in 2024,” Stefanik said. “It is time for Republicans to unite around the most popular Republican in America who has a proven track record of conservative governance.”

    The No. 3 Republican lawmaker’s endorsement comes at a time of uncertainty surrounding Trump as he faces blame for Republicans’ lackluster midterm results. This year’s midterms were expected to be a Republican blow-out but instead, the GOP has experienced a weaker-than-expected performance.

    As of Friday, neither political party has claimed an official majority in the House of Representatives or the Senate.

    In a separate statement to Breitbart News, Rep. Stefanik explained why she made her endorsement so early.

    “Republican voters determine who is the leader of the Republican Party and it’s very clear President Trump is the leader of the Republican party. What the media fails to report is that we just won the midterms and flipped the House,” Stefanik in an exclusive statement to Breitbart News.

    “I am proud to endorse Donald J. Trump for President in 2024. I fully support him running again,” she continued. “Under his presidency, America was strong at home and abroad, our economy was red hot, our border was secure, our neighborhoods were safe, our law enforcement was respected, and our enemies feared us,” Stefanik said. “We cannot afford another four years of Joe Biden’s failed policies that have led to the inflation crisis, border crisis, and crime crisis. It is time for Republicans to unite around the most popular Republican in America, who has a proven track record of conservative governance. Poll after poll shows that President Trump would defeat any Republican challenger by massive margins, and would beat Joe Biden if the election were held today. President Trump has always put America First, and I look forward to supporting him so we can save America.”

    On Election day eve, Trump teased his plans to make a “big announcement” on Nov. 15th with many supporters believing he plans to officially kick off his 2024 presidential campaign.

    Trump confirmed that he will be holding a “special announcement” at Mar-a-Lago on Nov. 15 in a press release on Thursday night. 

    However, Republicans’ less-than-stellar midterm outcome has spurred infighting among the party with many prominent Republicans pointing the finger at Trump. Since Tuesday, multiple Republicans have publicly announced they do not intend to support Trump’s next presidential bid and have urged him to reconsider.

    Former House Speaker for the GOP, Newt Gingrich, stated on Wednesday that he believes Trump might be reconsidering his plans for 2024.

    “I mean, just in my own emails today, [with] the number of people who want somebody other than Trump who have decided, literally overnight, that person is going to be DeSantis, he’s going to find it almost impossible to avoid running,” Gingrich told Just the News. “I think Trump’s got to look at the results and be troubled.”

    Retiring Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey also blamed Trump for this year’s midterm results while speaking to CNN.

    “President Trump had to insert himself and that changed the nature of the race and that created just too much of an obstacle,” Toomey said on CNN’s “Erin Burnett OutFront.”  

    “And by the way, it’s not just Pennsylvania. You look all over the country, there’s a very high correlation between MAGA candidates and big losses, or at least dramatically underperforming,” he added, referring to Trump’s slogan: Make America Great Again.  

    Virginia Lt. Governor Winsome Sears, who has publicly supported Trump in the past also said that Republicans must move on from Trump after the midterms.

    “A true leader understands when they have become a liability,” Sears said. “A true leader understands that it’s time to step off the stage, and the voters have given us that very clear message.” 

    Former Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who was known to clash with Trump on occasion, said the former president was a “drag” for Republican candidates across the country.

    “I think Trump’s kind of a drag on our ticket. I think Donald Trump gives us problems politically,” he said during an interview in Janesville, Wis., his hometown.  

    “We lost the House, the Senate and the White House in two years when Trump was on the ballot, or in office,” he said. “I think we just have some Trump hangover. I think he’s a drag on our office, on our races.” 

    New York Grand Jury Cancels Wednesday Meeting: Report

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    7
    Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    The New York grand jury considering indicting former President Trump has canceled its Wednesday meeting, delaying the potential indictment.

    Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) reportedly told the panel of jurors they should still be on standby to report on Thursday. The grand jury empaneled for Bragg’s investigation typically meets Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. 

    The cancellation comes after Trump predicted over the weekend that he could be arrested as soon as Tuesday in connection with the probe.

    “ILLEGAL LEAKS FROM A CORRUPT & HIGHLY POLITICAL MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEYS OFFICE, WHICH HAS ALLOWED NEW RECORDS TO BE SET IN VIOLENT CRIME & WHOSE LEADER IS FUNDED BY GEORGE SOROS, INDICATE THAT, WITH NO CRIME BEING ABLE TO BE PROVEN, & BASED ON AN OLD & FULLY DEBUNKED (BY NUMEROUS OTHER PROSECUTORS!) FAIRYTALE, THE FAR & AWAY LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE & FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK,” Trump posted to his social media platform Truth Social. “PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!”

    Earlier this week, Fox News reported the grand jury scheduled an additional witness on Wednesday. The report cited a law enforcement official familiar with the case who says he doesn’t expect the indictment to come until next week at the earliest.

    The officer also noted the logistical issues of closing down streets and putting lights up with generators, extra barriers, and extra police as well as public safety concerns as reasons for delaying the indictment.

    “If the former president does come up to Manhattan, there will be a major police presence and the area will get shut down. Trump has called on his supporters to protest ahead of a possible indictment, ” Fox News reports.

    On Monday, authorities were seen erecting barricades outside of the Manhattan Criminal Court.

    The unprecedented indictment hanging over Trump’s head stems from a $130,000 hush money payment he allegedly made to porn actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.

    Prosecutors are expected to charge Trump with a felony by arguing that the alleged crime was committed to hide an illegal campaign contribution. The potential problem for Trump centers around how his company reimbursed former attorney Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty to related charges and served time in prison.

    The payment to Daniels was listed as a legal expense and Trump’s company cited a retainer agreement with Cohen. The retainer agreement did not exist and the reimbursement was not related to any legal services from Cohen, thus setting up a potential misdemeanor criminal charge of falsifying business records. A report by NBC News said that Trump personally signed several of the checks to Cohen while he was serving as president.

    Prosecutors can elevate the misdemeanor to a felony if they can prove that Trump’s “‘intent to defraud’ included an intent to commit or conceal a second crime.”

    Prosecutors argue that the second crime is that the $130,000 hush payment was an improper donation to the Trump campaign because the money was used to stop a story for the purpose of benefiting his presidential campaign.

    Trump Threatens to Sue Fox News

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    7
    Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Donald Trump’s feud against Fox News is waging on but now he’s signaling his inclination to take this battle to court.

    In a statement to his TRUTH Social, Trump threatened to sue Fox News for airing political ads produced by the anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project.

    “The Perverts and Lowlifes of the Lincoln Project are back on, where else, Fox News. I thought they ran away to the asylum after their last catastrophic campaign, with charges made against them that were big time sleaze, and me getting many millions more votes in 2020 than I got in 2016,” Trump wrote. “The Paul Ryun (sic) run Fox only has high standards for “Trump” ads, but not for anyone else. The Perverts should not be allowed to “false advertise,” and Fox News should not allow it to happen. See you all in Court!!!”

    Trump seems to be referencing former House Speaker Paul Ryan in his remark. Ryan left Congress in 2019 and joined the Fox Corporation board.

    According to Mediaite:

    Moreover, Fox News didn’t even sell a national advertising spot to The Lincoln Project, given the political advocacy group typically makes local ad buys through cable providers in, say, Palm Beach or Bedminster, New Jersey. (Update: Lincoln Project confirms that the ad that raised Trump’s ire ran “on cable news in Bedminster, NJ,” where Trump is currently residing. Fox News also confirmed to Mediaite that this was a local buy and they did not run a Lincoln Project ad.)

    When reached for comment, Lincoln Project co-founder Rick Wilson told Mediaite: “In 2020, The Lincoln Project took up a long-term free lease in Trump’s brain. His threat to sue the Lincoln Project today is like Trump himself; impotent, flabby, and pathetic.”

    Former Fox News Star Flatlines During CNN Debut

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    12
    Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

    Did you tune in to watch Chris Wallace crash and burn with CNN?

    The former Fox News host officially made his debut on CNN and the ratings are in, Wallace absolutely crashed and burned according to The Washington Examiner.

    Nielsen Media Research tracked ratings for Wallace’s show, Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace, which debuted on CNN Sunday. The ratings show that there were 401,000 viewers, down 29% from the average, and 44,000 among those aged 25 to 54, down 64% from the average.

    Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy, a long-standing Fox News program that aired at the same time as Wallace’s, received 1.3 million viewers and 78,000 viewers aged 25 to 54.

    Wallace announced his departure from Fox News last December after working for the network for 18 years.

    “After 18 years — this is my final FOX News Sunday. It is the last time — and I say this with real sadness — we will meet like this. Eighteen years ago, the bosses here at Fox promised me they would never interfere with a guest I booked or a question I asked. And they kept that promise. I have been free to report to the best of my ability, to cover the stories I think are important, to hold our country’s leaders to account. It’s been a great ride,” Wallace said on the day of his departure.

    Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace’s Sunday night premiere featured an interview with former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, who said he was not happy with the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. He told Wallace that he “did everything I could to persuade people.”

    “You start writing too rigidly and you will see: The world will come around and bite you in the back,” the former justice said during the interview.

    Report: Sec. Mayorkas Tells Border Official ‘Resign or Be Fired’

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    16
    NEW YORK CITY (September 11, 2022) Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas lays flowers for USSS Master Special Officer Craig Miller and participates in the September 11th Anniversary Commemoration Ceremony at Ground Zero in New York City, NY. (DHS photo by Sydney Phoenix)

    A Biden administration border official is reportedly being pressured to resign from his role.

    Multiple sources close to the matter informed Politico that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Chris Magnus is being pressured by leaders to resign or be fired after criticizing their ineffectiveness at tamping down the border surge.

    Magnus was reportedly told on Wednesday by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas that he should either resign or be dismissed and, so far, the CBP chief has refused to step down, according to four people.

    Some executive assistant commissioners at CBP have indicated they would leave the agency if Magnus does not resign, according to one of the current DHS official and the former DHS official.

    Mayorkas has since shifted Magnus’ duties and responsibilities to his deputy secretary, John Tien, and has deputy CBP commissioner Troy Miller, a career government official, running the agency’s day-to-day operations, according to three of the people.

    POLITICO reported in October that five current administration officials who work with Magnus described him as unengaged in his job, saying he often failed to attend White House meetings on the situation on the border, badmouthed other agencies to colleagues and superiors, and has not built relationships within CBP and across other immigration agencies to address the influx of migrants at the border. Several also said he fell asleep in numerous meetings, which Magnus blamed on the effects of his multiple sclerosis.

    Magnus has been leading the border agency since December and it’s currently unclear who might permanently take over his Senate-confirmed position if he complies with Sec. Mayorkas’ wishes.

    CBP is responsible for securing U.S. borders at and between ports of entry. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the agency responsible for arresting and detaining undocumented people within U.S. borders and both agencies are encompassed within DHS.

    The latest DHS data shows that for the fiscal year ending in September, nearly 2.4 million migrants were detained at the border, a 37% increase from the year before.

    McCarthy Wins Nod to Become House Speaker as Senate Leadership Feud Heats Up

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    7

    Despite a last-minute challenge from House Freedom Caucus chairman Andy Biggs (Ariz.) Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) handily won the nomination for House Speaker in a closed-door conference meeting on Tuesday.

    Rep. McCarthy won easily, 188 to 31, in the internal conference meeting.

    The secret-ballot House Republican Conference vote is just the first step for McCarthy to take hold of the gavel. He must win a majority in a public vote on the House floor — at least 218 votes, assuming a fully sworn-in House — on the first day of the next Congress on Jan. 3.

    According to The Hill, Biggs was nominated by Rep. Chip Roy (Texas), with Reps. Michael Cloud (Texas) and Ralph Norman (S.C.) seconding the nomination, according to a source in the room. Rep. Kelly Armstrong (N.D.) gave a speech in support of McCarthy.

    While McCarthy has been considered the favorite to become Speaker when Republicans retake the House the lackluster midterm results have recently spurred infighting among House Republicans, with some directly criticizing McCarthy’s leadership.

    Rep. Biggs announced his plans to challenge the California Republican for the position on Monday. (RELATED: Freedom Caucus Chairman Expected to Announce Challenge for House Speaker)

    Biggs acknowledged successfully challenging McCarthy would be difficult.

    Separately, Senate leadership is also facing an uncertain future as Florida Senator Rick Scott officially announced he’s running to unseat Mitch McConnell (Ky.) as Senate Minority Leader.

    The chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee has been at odds with McConnell for most of this year over political strategy.

    Scott announced his campaign in a letter to Senate Republicans on Tuesday:

    “I’m writing to you today because I believe it’s time for the Senate Republican Conference to be far more bold and resolute than we have been in the past. We must start saying what we are for, not just what we are against,” Scott said in a letter to GOP colleagues. “I do not believe we can simply continue to say the Democrats are radical, which they are. Republican voters expect and deserve to know our plan to promote and advance conservative values. “

    Scott added: “For those who want to get serious about ending reckless government spending and the devastating inflation it has caused, finally take action to protect Social Security and Medicare and preserve the promise of these programs for our children and grandchildren, hold government accountable from the FBI to the IRS, truly combat the extreme danger posed by Communist China and refocus our military on lethal defense instead of woke nonsense, I ask for your support in changing the direction of the Senate and rescuing America from the dangerous path Democrats have set it on.”

    11.15.22-RickScott-DearColleagueLetterDownload

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